Description

A guide to the history behind the world of Harry Potter--just in time for the last Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the "Deathly Hallows" (Part II)Harry Potter lives in a world that is both magical and historical. Hogwarts pupils ride an old-fashioned steam train to school, notes are taken on parchment with quill pens, and Muggle legends come to life in the form of werewolves, witches, and magical spells. This book is the first to explore the real history in which Harry's world is rooted.Did you know that bezoars and mandrakes were fashionable luxury items for centuries? Find out how Europeans first developed the potions, spells, and charms taught at Hogwarts, from Avada Kedavra to love charms. Learn how the European prosecution of witches led to the Statute of Secrecy, meet the real Nicholas Flamel, see how the Malfoys stack up against Muggle English aristocrats, and compare the history of the wizarding world to real-life history.Gives you the historical backdrop to Harry Potter's worldCovers topics ranging from how real British boarding schools compare to Hogwarts to how parchment, quills, and scrolls used in the wizarding world were madeIncludes a timeline comparing the history of the wizarding world to Muggle ""real"" historyFilled with fascinating facts and background, "Harry Potter and History" is an essential companion for every Harry Potter fan.show more

Back cover copy

Were Voldemort and the Death Eaters similar to the Nazis?How did Muggles use mandrakes, bezoars, cauldrons, and love potions?Would a woman have more rights as a witch or a Muggle?How do the Malfoys compare to Muggle English aristocrats?Who was the real Nicolas Flamel?You'll find the answers and more inside this book, the first to explore the real history behind the world of Harry Potter. From Dementors to the Dark Mark, from Hogwarts to house-elves, "Harry Potter and History" takes a revealing look at the historical backdrop of J. K. Rowling's novels, with a timeline comparing the key events of the wizarding world to actual human history.You'll learn how real British boarding schools compare to Hogwarts, where the Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic came from, how the magical books and quills used by Harry and his friends were made, and the history of werewolves before Professor Lupin and Fenrir Greyback. You'll also discover the historical origins of the spells, charms, and lessons Hogwarts students learn, from Avada Kedavra to Levicorpus. This book takes every Harry Potter fan even deeper within the series, describing the rich historical background of the characters and their wizarding world.show more

About Nancy R. Reagin

Nancy R. Reagin is a professor of history and women's and gender studies at Pace University, who has published several books in modern European history. She's also an active fan who has worked on fan archives and websites, and she has helped build fan organizations. She is appalled by Professor Binns's teaching methods and would enjoy using pensieves, Veritaserum, and Time-Turners in her own research.show more

Table of contents

Acknowledgments: Writing Magical History.
Harry Potter's Timeline.
Introduction: A Half-Blood World? (Nancy R. Reagin).
PART ONE "The Burrow Is Just Outside Ottery St. Catchpole": When Muggles and Wizards Lived Side by Side.
1 Magic for Daily Use and Profit: Mandrakes, Charms, Bezoars, and Love Potions in the Muggle and Wizarding Worlds (Birgit Wiedl).
2 Severus Snape and the Standard Book of Spells: Ancient Tongues in the Wizarding World (M.G. DuPree).
3 Beastly Books and Quick-Quills: Harry Potter and the Making of Medieval Manuscripts (Alexandra Gillespie).
4 Nicholas Flamel: The Alchemist Who Lived (Don Keck DuPree).
5 Why the Statute of Secrecy? Real Historical Oppression of Witches and Wizards (Birgit Wiedl).
PART TWO After the Stature of Secrecy: Parallel Worlds.
6 Was Voldemort a Nazi? Death Eater Ideology and Nationals Socialism (Nancy R. Reagin).
7 "Magic is Might": How the Wizarding Government Gained Its Power (Janice Liedl).
8 Were the Malfoys Aristocrates? The Decline and Fall of the Pure-Blooded (Laura Loiacono and Grace Loiacono).
9 School Ties, House Points and Quidditch: Hogwarts as a British Boarding School (Susan Hall).
10 Of Marranos and Mudbloods: Harry Potter and the Spanish Inquisition (Ruth Abrams).
PART THREE Women and Witches, Werewolves and Muggle-Borns: Magical Hierarchies.
11 Witches vs. Women: What Muggles Could Learn from Wizarding History (Janice Liedl).
12 Marx, Magic and Muggles: Class Conflict in Harry Potter's World (Susan Hall).
13 Hairy Snout, Human Heart? Werewolves in Harry Potter's World and in European History (Eveline Brugger).
Hermione Raised Her Hand Again: Wizards Writing History (Anne Rubenstein).
The Hogwarts Faculty.
Index. Notable Magical Names of Our Time.show more